A semiconductor device generates a great deal of heat during normal operation. As the speed of semiconductors has increased, so too has the amount of heat generated by them. It is desirable to dissipate this heat from an integrated circuit package in an efficient manner.
A heat sink is one type of device used to help dissipate heat from some integrated circuit packages. Various shapes and sizes of heat sink devices have been incorporated onto, into or around integrated circuit packages for improving heat dissipation from the particular integrated circuit package. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,231 to Combs, entitled “High Power Dissipation Plastic Encapsulated Package For Integrated Circuit Die,” discloses a selectively coated heat sink attached directly on to the integrated circuit die and to a lead frame for external electrical connections.